6/12

About this artwork

Titelprent bij een reeks van twaalf prenten van Romeinse keizers.

Art Historical Context

Antonio Tempesta's *6/12* (1596) is a captivating etching, measuring 302 mm high by 226 mm wide, serving as the title print for series of twelve prints depicting Roman emperors. Created during the late Renaissance in Italy, this work reflects the era's fascination with classical antiquity when artists and scholars revived the grandeur of ancient Rome to inspire contemporary rulers and audiences. Tempesta, a prolific Florentine etcher and painter (1555–0), was renowned for his dynamic historical and mythological scenes, blending meticulous detail with dramatic energy. As an etching—a technique...

About the Artist

Antonio Tempesta · 1555–1630

Antonio Tempesta (1555–1630), known as 'Il Tempestino,' was a Florentine painter and printmaker whose extraordinary output of approximately 1,700 etchings made him one of the most influential printmakers of the early Baroque period. Born in Florence and trained under Santi di Tito and the Flemish master Joannes Stradanus, he enrolled in the Accademia del Disegno in 1576 before relocating to Rome i...